How To Fail A Home Inspection: Sellers, These Are Home Inspection Deal Breakers

While the idea of failing a home inspection might be the last thing you want to think about, you need to know what to do if you fail. You also need to know what to do so that you can prevent failure. If you pass all the obvious home inspection deal breakers, you might end up passing after all.

Here are five dealbreakers to pay attention to.

1. Check The Roof

If you want to make sure that you don’t fail your home inspection, you need to check out your home thoroughly, from top to bottom. While dealing with a roof is one of the most dreaded problems that any homeowner has, it’s necessary to take a look. Before you have someone tell you that your roof needs work, you’ll have a better time selling your home if you know what’s wrong in advance.

Roofing is expensive and going to be a dealbreaker for your most skittish of buyers. However, if you prepare them to know what’s going on, you won’t scare them away as easily. A roof that’s aged with original materials is going to break down naturally, so prepare yourself in advance.

There are lots of problems to look forward to when you’re dealing with a problem roof. You’ll have leakage that causes an immediate and visible problem. However, you’ll also be susceptible to water damage that could lead to more serious issues.

Water damage means that water has gotten in between the interior walls of your home. When this happens, mold and mildew start to grow, which is nearly impossible to get rid of without tearing up your walls or pulling apart the ceiling. This is a challenging problem to deal with, so avoid what this could lead to and stay away from a failed inspection by dealing with the issue ASAP.

2. Watch Water in the Basement

While moisture from the outside might seem like it’s relegated to just want comes from above, water from below is just as much of a problem. Water intrusion from basements becomes a real problem because basements are below ground level, putting it beneath the soil. The water in the soil pushes against the basement walls and as soon as it finds a crack, it comes pouring in.

Water tends to follow a path of least resistance, meaning your basement has to be flawless. If water can find its way into your basement, you’re going to struggle with a wet basement after not too long. Damp basements cause problems with the foundation, which means that you’re going to have serious issues if water gets in.

A damp basement causes your concrete to end up spalling or else it introduces mold between bricks and stones. If you suspect your gutters could cause a problem, then redirect them away from your home. Install a sump pump if you notice that water is starting to pool in your basement.

On top of that, patch up any cracks or issues that you find. Make it so that you redirect or block water from seeping in from the outside to ensure that the crack doesn’t worsen or can be completely fixed.

3. Solve HVAC Issues

Many problems have HVAC issues that can be easily solved. However, not all HVAC problems are created equally. Lots of problems with HVAC systems belie much larger issues that can’t be solved with changing a filter or a quick cleaning. If your home inspector finds serious HVAC issues, your sale could be sidelined indefinitely.

If your home’s wiring isn’t up to par, you’re going to have to invest in fixing it. If you find that you can’t handle the heating and cooling needs of your home with the current wiring setup, it’s time to invest in a solution. Heating and cooling systems suck up a lot of power and require robust wiring for all that electricity.

If you have a gas-fired furnace, you’re going to need some serious exhaust in place. If you don’t have the kind of system that’s required by laws or local regulations you’ll need to install an update. These kinds of updates are costly but could stall a potential sale.

A home with cracked ductwork is going to stop a sale in its tracks. If the homeowner is going to look forward to paying more for less when it comes to getting the airflow they need, it might not be worth it. Incorrectly installed ducts suffer the same kind of fate in the eyes of an inspector.

4. Check Your Electricity

If you’re looking at problems in your electrical system, have an electrician fix them before an inspector arrives. Having an inspector check out your system only to find that it’s rife with issues is going to upset them. If it’s clear there are obvious issues you should have solved on your own, they’ll be merciless with their inspection results.

Start by going around and fixing the problems that are most obvious to you. Loose light switches and outlets should be tightened up and squared away. If a light switch or a socket sparks when you activate it, then you need to turn off the breaker, clean it out, and make sure to end the sparking.

One spark can cause a fire on dry insulation or other elements you’ve got sitting around your house.

5. Look Into Your Pipes

Most inspectors are going to find something wrong with your plumbing. Whether it’s the age, conditions, or arrangement of your pipes, there’s a lot to find.

If you see what the problem is and could fix it on your own or tighten up a faucet, do it before the inspector arrives to save time and stress.

Home Inspection Deal Breakers Get You Every Time

If you avoid all the obvious and overt home inspection deal breakers, you can ensure a quick sale. If you don’t want to hold onto your home forever, a quick sale is all you can hope for. Fix things as you walk around your home so you don’t have to try to recall them all later.

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CLASS Home Inspection is proud to serve the North East Ohio area, and will travel to your home or target property on your schedule. Contact us now to schedule an affordable home inspection to protect the biggest investment of your life!